Brooklyn Cider House

Half Sour Hard Cider

Brooklyn Cider House Half Sour Hard Cider (5.8% alcohol by volume) is made with fresh pressed apples that are allowed to ferment and then in undergoes a fermentation to produce its sour character which they stop half way. It has a mild apple, floral and fruit aroma with some light funk character. The yeast character is mild with no harsh or off-putting aromas. It pours brilliant pale gold kicking up an frothy white cap that quickly disappears. An initial apple and light fruit sweetness with a hint of honey quickly gives way to a green apple and citrus tartness. Green apple leads with citrus close behind and traces of lactic, yogurt-like sourness. There are faint bacon-like smoky phenolics. Mild tannins dry the cider out on the finish leaving a lingering, mouthwatering apple tart after taste. The balance leans to the acid. The carbonation is medium and the body is light. There are no obvious flaws and a well balanced acidity making this a pleasant, flavorful afternoon drinker that pairs nicely with my front bench on a crisp, late autumn afternoon. I think this would go nicely with Spanish cheeses such as Campovieja, Garrotxa, Idiazábal, or Ossau-Iraty cheese and then move onto a fresh grilled steak or you could go Norman or Breton and try it with oysters, seafood or some Jasper Hill Creamery Harbisons Pasteurized Cows Milk Cheese or Fourme D'Ambert. The Half Sour should behave like a Basque Cider with the Spanish cheeses and feel right at home while the Harbison's cheese's spruce notes and the cider's mild funk might send your mind somewhere in Upstate New York. For the Fourme D'Ambert, find yourself a nice bistro table and chair, a garden, a fresh baguette, some Django Reinhardt music, and some pleasant sunshine to pair with this cider.